August north of the equator has the reputation of being one of the year’s hottest months – if not the hottest. We have all heard about the “Dog Days of August” and how hot and baking they are (and, interestingly, the term comes from the ancient Egyptians, who thought that the Dog Star, Sirius, which becomes visible in August, caused the heat of the month). Yet, as the first of the strange facts you can discover about August, it actually isn’t the hottest month of the year, despite its reputation. Other than in a few small areas where local weather conditions are unique, July is actually hotter on average than August – by several degrees. The invention of the thermometer should have told everyone that July is hotter, yet nearly everyone still believes in the Dog Days.

August also has several of the strangest “holidays” in the United States, a country that seems to be taking pride in coming up with a weird holiday or two for every day of the day. The two that really stand out are “Wiggle Your Toes Day” and “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night,” which fall on the 6th and 8th of August respectively. Wiggle Your Toes Day is said to be a day when you should kick off your shoes and socks at some point in the day and let your toes wiggle freely. Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night is a night when people who have grown too many zucchini squash are supposed to leave some in bag or box on a neighbor’s porch or front step – hopefully without being chased like a burglar by their dog. Nobody knows who originated these holidays, but they do have some amount of national recognition.

Americans aren’t the only ones with weird and whimsical holidays in August. The British get in on the act with the Bog Snorkeling Championships, in which contestants don a snorkel and flippers to swim two laps along a murky watercourse in a peat bog in Wales. Held every year on the last Monday in August at the Waen Rhydd Peat Bog in central Wales, many people come to the event every year to race each other along this muddy, clammy stream. There are sections for kids, women, and men, and as if holding a snorkeling race in a swamp weren’t strange enough already, there is also a section where people can compete in the race wearing fancy dress – which, of course, is totally ruined by the bog water.

One of the world’s most famous meteor showers, the Perseids, happens in the middle of August every year – and has been happening then for at least 2,000 years, almost back to the time of Julius Caesar. The meteor shower is actually made up of pieces of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which passes by every year with chunks of rock and ice spewing off it like car parts falling off a breaking-down car in a cartoon. The best view of this meteor shower is in the early morning, north of the equator, when you might be able to see as many as 60 meteors each hour.

Although August doesn’t seem too spooky next to the yellow moon and bare branches of October, it is the time of year when the Japanese celebrate their equivalent of Halloween – the Bon Festival. This festival is dedicated both to the spirits of their ancestors and to helping the “hungry ghosts” who are believed to wander the world. Nowadays, it’s often used as an occasion for family reunions, but in many places, the traditional costumed Bon dances are carried out and Bon music is played. In some American cities, Japanese volunteers float thousands of paper lanterns down any major river at night. This resembles the carving of jack-o-lanterns most of us are familiar with, and it’s a strange fact that similar holidays should have a similar nighttime customs even though they were invented long ago on opposite sides of the world.

When the decision is made to education your children at home the very first step is to determine how to lay a firm foundation. This foundation is what everything else will build upon, so it is important to be sure it is a firm one. This firm foundation is one that is taught from the moment they can understand us. Respect is taught from day one and is part of the training.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The bible verse above is a very powerful one and for homeschoolers they believe it is meant to teach your child at home. It is believed that the Lord is directing us as parents to train our children in the ways of the Lord. As mentioned above the training begins from the moment of birth and continues until your children will begin their own journeys through life. As parents we are always learning and praying to the Lord that He will guide us and help us face daily decisions and choices. The way we live our lives and the choices we make are the models that our children will learn from. Not all is learned from books but most often the important values are learned by example and actions.

As parents we are responsible for the upbringing of our children, which is why so many decided to take on the responsibility of homeschooling. For many it is what they believe is the best route for their children to learn. They will be taught the subjects at the time you as the parent will find are appropriate. The lessons they learn are those that are similar to the ones we ourselves are learning in our own attempts to obey the Lord. We are responsible for our own actions before the Lord. Training our children to be responsible for their actions and to keep their eyes focused on the walk with God is a great lesson to be taught. It is important to teach our children to be obedient, to respect authority, and to do all to the glory of God and not men as well as to stay focused on what is pleasing to God. When you have done this, you have set the foundational issues that will stay with them forever.

Homeschooling information is relied upon by many parents on a daily basis. Finding reliable information when it comes to putting together learning plans is essential, and can be found in a number of ways whether it’s by way of a homeschooling book or through a support group. The internet has also brought additional resources to parents who teach their children at home.

Why Homeschooling Books are Important

There are a couple of different aspects to a homeschooling books; one that teaches techniques and lesson plans to parents of homeschooled children, and one that is used as a text book for class. Both aspects are helpful and text books are essential, but although it isn’t required for parents to use a homeschooling book as an aid, it is a beneficial tool that can create a routine and positive learning experience for children being homeschooled.

Homeschooling books can be found in a couple of different ways. First, there’s a subscription type of book, which is either purchased or sent as a subscription on a weekly or monthly basis. These kinds of homeschooling books can be found as general education lesson plan books, and for each individual subject that make up an all around education (such as math, English and science among others).

Yearly or periodical homeschooling books that highlight resources, tips, ideas and instruction for parents to create their own lesson plans are also popular tools for parents. These can be found as manuals, as volume sets and for individual subject matters.

Without the use of homeschooling books, parents may find it hard to put together a year long schedule for school time. Being a parent as well as a teacher is not an easy task, so help is something that offers nothing but benefits. Homeschooling books provide calendars to keep track of lesson plans, whether ready made or parent made. They also offer structure that leaves parents free to focus on educating their children instead of having to waste time planning, creating and implementing.

In addition to homeschooling books, other resources available are in the way of neighborhood support groups, some who even put together play dates and group activities which helps with socialization. Internet groups are also proving to be useful, as long as the programs and websites are legitimate. Most homeschooling programs online will be certified to offer the programs and resources available to parents. Programs can even be attended by children from home over the internet, however parent supervision is strongly recommended.

Some books that I feel are really helpful to determine how you want to homeschool are:

Home schooling your children can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. Depending on the time and effort you choose to put into home schooling, you and your children’s experience could be an excellent one.

A few steps can put you on the right path to a great home schooling experience, the first of these steps is to take into account all of the aspects that go along with home schooling and then to make sure they are all applied correctly.

A Real Learning Environment

Of all the aspects that go along with home schooling, providing your children with a relaxed but professional learning environment is crucial and most important. The learning environment you choose should be a room free of distractions such as televisions, phones, computers and food.

The room should offer a whiteboard attached to the wall that will outline what the day’s schedule is, and a wall shelf for children to keep school work and other school related materials is also necessary.

Finally, a sturdy study table and comfortable chair should be provided, making it enjoyable, relaxing but realistic for your children to learn!

School Materials and Lesson Plans

Home schooling requires someone to act as a teacher that can be relied upon to prepare lesson plans and make sure children are learning what they should for their age and grade group. This can be done a number of different ways:

Hire a tutor to bring learning materials and lesson plans with them, and to teach your children for a few hours per day. This is helpful to those who work or have active schedules, and want to provide a routine for their children.

Do it yourself with purchased learning material. Whether it be online or through a support group, there are resources available to provide learning material for home schooling. Whether it be a homeschooling book or workbook material among other things, this option works well for those that do have the time to teach their children but don’t have the expertise to create their own lesson plans.

Do it yourself, from scratch. You can type and print up your own lesson plans if you know what your children should be learning. In most cases, home schooling parents find that self discipline and good management skills is all it takes to take this route.

Finally, there are other home schooling options available such as Internet home school programs which are becoming quite popular and are continuing to become more and more available. Finding a local or internet home schooling support group can help to put you in touch with many resources that are valuable.